16 February 2017

Newsletter Articles

Principal article - RVPS newsletter week beginning 13th Feb 2017

We have had a brilliant start to the year with every child looking smart in their uniforms and ready to be a learner at Risdon Vale Primary School. I remember it was the first thing I noticed when I arrived last year. Thank you parents and carers for supporting our uniform by making sure your children have uniform and wear it to school every day. If ever there is a time when uniform is an issue for you, just send a note with your child or call in so that we can help out if needed.

The Risdon Vale Community Festival was a wonderful way for me to come back into school. It was so great to see everyone enjoying themselves. I'd really like to thank Clarence City Council and Ann Harrison at the Neighbourhood Centre for creating this event and allowing the school to host it. I'm sure there will be many more Summer festivals to come.

We have some new faces at our school for 2017. I cannot tell you how excited I am and how fortunate we are the have such an exemplary staff.

Mr Ashley Jubb is our new senior teacher and a permanent member of our staff. He will be leading our Respectful School. This means that Mr Jubb will help us develop our behaviour management strategies in a way that supports all children in a respectful way. We will be working with you, our parents and carers, to make sure that we are all on the same page and supporting each other. Our students need us to model excellent social and emotional skills, because these skills are learnt. Mr Jubb will also be teaching Grade 5/6 with Mr Coombe. Mr Jubb is a new father to a little baby boy, he is also a qualified sports physio and a musician! Wow! Come along to assembly on Monday February 20th to meet Mr Jubb.

Ms Wendy Palfreyman is our Literacy and Numeracy coach. For this year she will be working with teachers to make sure that our teaching of Mathematics and Numeracy is excellent and ensures that all of our children are making good progress. Ms Palfreyman is a teacher with many years experience across a range of schools in Tasmania. She is one of Tasmania's leading Maths and Numeracy teachers and I am absolutely thrilled that she has chosen to work with us.

Ms Bronwyn Daly is our new Kinder teacher. Ms Daly has spent much of her holiday time preparing the Kinder room and planning for our youngest learners. She has been meeting with parents and carers this week to make sure she knows as much as possible about every student. Ms Daly is an exemplary and experienced Kinder teacher who has chosen to join our staff as a permanent member of the teaching team.

Mr Adam Lockey is joining us full time for this year and is teaching a grade 5/6 class. He is a vibrant and positive early careers teacher who we selected for his gentle and caring concern for every student he teaches. We also love his sense of humour and his ability to plan thoughtful lessons for his students.

Mr Harry Pearce is with us for the whole of this year too as a specialist sports trainee. He is amazing! Mr Pearce has been taking a sports activity every lunchtime, which really engages our students. He is assisting in PE lessons and will help get our school carnivals up and running smoothly. Mr Pearce is also going to be able to help us have after school sports this year as well. He is a very talented Tasmanian footballer who spent Summer with the AFL!

So, as you can see, Risdon Vale Primary School has attracted some of the best in the business and I am busting for you to meet the whole team, both old and new, at our first school assembly.

Our weekly whole school awards assembly will be every Monday in the Open Area of the school from 1.50pm - 2.35pm. We will have special guests, presentations of student work, celebrations of our school's success and announcements for items such as student leaders. We have had a regular group of parents, carers and friends attend these assemblies but we really do need for many more to come along. So, come on in and watch our assemblies. This week on Monday February 20th we have an international musician who has played all over the world. She plays saxophone and is going to show our children how to use their breath to feel calm and be able to learn and play. The staff are going to get involved too!

Most of our support team are in the school on Mondays too, including our new social worker - Danielle Raymond, and our new School Nurse - Andrea Periera. So, another great reason to come to Monday's assembly because this team do so much to make sure children and families have the support they need.

The vision for our school is that we will have our students experience wonderful things throughout the year that will help them to grow socially, emotionally and academically. So, this week we have our grade 6's going sailing in a yacht on the Derwent as part of their leadership training. Grade 3/4 Patulny are going to the cricket to have a day getting to know their class mates and their teacher better. The following week all Grade 5 and 6 are going on camp which will help them to build skills in co-operation and leadership as these two grades are our school leaders and we expect much of them this year and next year.

I would like to thank our school attendants: Sue, Janine and Rob for making sure the school was ready when staff and students returned last week. I'd also like to thank the office staff: Jodie, Shirley, Jo and also Karen for ensuring we were ready for the business of the school year to start. Finally, Edna and Carol worked so hard to make sure teaching materials and displays spaces were looking good. Many teachers came in over the holidays to prepare for this year and even brought family members in to help out. Can I just say, again, thank you! What a great place to work!!

We will continue to work hard this year to offer the best teaching program we can to all of our students. We will continue to work to improve our facilities, including the building, furnishings and outside areas. We have a couple of surprises in this area for you and I'm hoping for a few more along the way. I'll tell you more at assembly...see, it really is worthwhile coming along!

On a bit of a down note, our school got hit hard by vandalism over the holidays...the worst we've had in a few years. The youths who did this are not from our school and do not appear to realise that when they damage our property that we pay for it through money and time. Our pool is currently damaged and can't be used until it's fixed and we lost 17 windows which needed to be replaced. Our LiL garden also suffered some damage. We have installed more security (more money) and police identified some on camera. If you have any information, please let me know so that I can sit down with these people and show them, explain to them how much it hurts our school. I'd rather make friends than enemies any day of the week!

I really do have so much to share with you but I'm hoping we can get together for some information forums and that you come to assembly. We are in for a great year.

BTW, our enrolments have increased again this year. This is vital for the future of the school because it ensures staffing, facility investment and further funding for our school. We are going to be installing stunning new street signage, with money from a grant, to announce how proud we are to be Risdon Vale Primary School. This sign will also allow us to provide regular positive news to our whole community.

Wooooohooooo! Bring it on :)

Regard, Libby Robinson

Respectful Schools Agreement 1

Risdon Vale Primary’s ‘Respectful Schools Agreement’ was co-constructed by our LIFT working group in 2016. The document outlines behaviour expected of adults in and around our school. The document was developed in reference to our Hi 5 values, the Department of Education’s Respectful Schools and Workplaces framework and the Department of Education’s Legal Issues Handbook.

Please read the document in this newsletter carefully so that we can work in partnership to model and promote respectful behaviour in our students for a safe, calm and orderly learning environment.

Library times

Library times start the week beginning Monday 13th February. In keeping with our safe and responsible Hi5 agreements, students will need a named Library bag (material or plastic) to borrow.

Prep/1 Bowering – Tuesday
Prep/1 Porte – Thursday but Library books need to be returned on Wednesdays
1/ Varveris – Thursday
2/3 Weavers – Wednesday
3/4 Patulny – Thursday
5/6 Lockey – Friday
5/6 Coombe – Monday

ICT user agreements

It is important these agreements are read, understood and signed by both student and parent. They should be returned to class teachers or Ms Rigney as soon as possible to enable access to our computers.

Home Readers

All children Prep-6 have received their Home Reading Folders. We all want the best educational outcomes for our children. Just 10 minutes a day of quality time having fun with a book can make the difference between a child who struggles with reading, and other aspects of the curriculum, and a child who discovers the love and joy of reading and success at school. Please make the time to be involved with your child’s reading development through our Home Reading program.

Book club

Book club catalogues have been given out. If you would like to make a purchase please return your order and correct money in an envelope to your child’s class teacher or Ms Rigney by 23rd February.

Canteen

PLESE FIND A COPY OF THE NEW PRICES FOR THE CANTEEN. CHILDREN ALSO BOUGHT A COPY HOME ON LAST FRIDAY.

PLEASE NOTE IT HAS BEEN 10 YEARS SINCE THE LAST INCREASE AND WE HAVE ONLY ADJUSTED A FEW ITEMS EVER SO SLIGHTLY.

SCHOOL BANKING

School banking will be on Tuesday’s this year again. Kindergarten children can bring their books on a Monday for processing on Tuesdays.

SCHOOL UNIFORM

School hats have arrived and other items of clothing should be in by the end of this week. There will be a new price list for uniform coming out shortly.

SCHOOL CAMP

Monies for this Grade 5 6 Camp full cost of $90 must be paid this week at the office. If you have lost your forms please call into school for another copy.

Calendar of Events